RJ4All Europe was represented at the European Commission’s Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN) REHABILITATION working group final meeting in Riga, Latvia through its Founder and Director, Professor Theo Gavrielides (PhD). Held from June 4th to 5th, 2024, this gathering brought together 30 practitioners from across Europe, each with varying levels of expertise in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE). The primary aim of this meeting was to draw insights from those on the front lines of rehabilitation and conflict resolution and to foster discussions on promoting comprehensive reintegration approaches.
The theme of the meeting, “Synergies between rehabilitation and peacebuilding, mediation, and restorative justice,” served as the cornerstone for two days of in-depth discussions and collaborative workshops. Professionals dedicated to P/CVE and conflict resolution explored current practices, identified challenges, and examined the potential of conflict resolution methods in enhancing rehabilitation efforts. Key objectives included sharing experiences in rehabilitating violent and extremist terrorist offenders (VETOs), understanding the needs and opportunities within current rehabilitation frameworks, and developing practical recommendations for incorporating conflict resolution strategies into P/CVE practices.
Amidst these dynamic discussions, Dr. Gavrielides had the opportunity to kick off a session on preventing extremism and violent radicalisation through restorative justice, sharing an evidence-based model with impressive results. Dr. Gavrielides’ presentation focused on explaining how the RJiNEAR resilience model can be used to prevent and rehabilitate in the context of violent radicalisation and extremism. Gavrielides presentation can be downloaded from here
The presentation was followed by a hands-on workshop, “A Restorative Justice Circle for PVE and Rehabilitation.” Here, participants experienced firsthand the power and impact of a restorative justice circle, moving from theory to practical application. This interactive session allowed everyone to dive deep into restorative techniques and explore how they can be used in their work with VETOs and impacted communities.
To find out more about RJ4All Europe’s work on using restorative justice and the RJiNEAR model to prevent and rehabilitate in the context of violent radicalisation and extremism follow this link.
To find out more about Dr. Gavrielides forthcoming book Gavrielides, T. (Forthcoming 2025), Addressing Violent Radicalisation and Extremism: A Restorative Justice & Psychosocial Approach, New York: Springer.
